Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this weekly astrological journal based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as prediction. Your own experience will be more specifically defined by transits to your personal chart.

SEVERAL of the seeds contained in last Friday's New Moon chart grow in size this week, as the Aries Sun exactly squares Saturn (Wednesday), the nodal axis (Thursday), and Pluto (Saturday). Issues that have been stewing over the past three or four days may very well start boiling over, especially on the days of these exact Sun aspects.

And, two more participants join the already-powerful planetary line-up -- the asteroid Pallas Athene and dwarf planet Eris. With all four cardinal signs represented, we actually have a full cardinal grand cross in effect for most of this week: Sun/Eris in Aries, Pallas in Libra, Pluto/South Node/Saturn in Capricorn, and North Node in Cancer.

TO UNDERSTAND a cardinal grand cross, we can start by considering the four signs that are involved, to see why they just don't get along.

Aries is a fire sign. The Ram is independent, courageous, confident, impatient, and willful. It bravely goes where no one has gone before, and can react angrily if restrained.

Cancer is a water sign. The Crab is sensitive, protective, emotional, and deeply affecting by the suffering in the world. In its capacity as a universal mother, it responds as defensively as a mother bear when it or a loved one is threatened.

Libra is an air sign. The Scales are peace-loving, equality-minded, and focused on creating harmonious conditions. When stressed, Libra may tend to act passive-aggressively rather than facing issues directly.

Capricorn is an earth sign. The Seagoat is self-sufficient, goal-oriented, disciplined, and practical. Under stress, Capricorn tends to put on blinders to all emotional and personal distractions, and to focus solely on the end-point.

It's pretty clear why these signs usually don't see eye to eye. Not only do they have very different goals, they often have little understanding for the other three signs, looking at their motivations with either distrust or disdain.

NEXT IN OUR PROCESS of interpretation, we want to look at the planets involved:

The Sun and Eris are in Aries. The Sun highlights the energies of whatever sign it is in, so our natural urge to be autonomous and to fight for our rights is activated. Eris, named for the goddess of discord, uses the energy of Aries to force issues to come to a crisis point.

The North Node stands by itself in Cancer. This point represents humanity's path of highest evolution. In Cancer, we are meant to learn caring, compassion, and sensitivity to the needs of others -- and to likewise nurture our own inner process.

Pallas Athene anchors the Libra corner of the grand cross. Pallas, as goddess of wisdom and strategy, seeks to bring about reconciliation and consensus. Pallas in Libra is a strong advocate for peace and justice. Her preferred tools are diplomacy and conflict management.

In Capricorn, we find Saturn, the South Node, and Pluto. This threesome represents a great evolutionary struggle that is underway throughout 2019-2020, but especially highlighted this month. The South Node is our marker for the pull of past patterns -- karmic patterns -- that inhibit our progress. Saturn's job is to maintain the status quo, to keep all in order based on what has worked in the past. Pluto is the rototiller, working to uproot systems and structures that are based in an imbalance of power.

ALL OF THESE PLANETS/POINTS, and each of these signs, are clamoring for our attention and our energetic "vote" this week. As such, we're likely to feel pulled in many different directions at once. We'll need to be very clear vibrationally, so that we can tap into the higher guidance that is available to us in every moment.

We'll also benefit from paying attention to what the North Node in Cancer is asking from us -- specifically, to focus on being caring and compassionate to others, as well as to ourselves.

This is ultimately the test of a cardinal grand cross, to learn how to focus our intentions rather than being overly distracted by what is going on around us. As astrologer Bil Tierney writes, this configuration:

"... presents us with the challenge of learning to be more self-controlled, reliable, and consistent. By learning to harness our tremendous energy reserves and by applying more commonsense in our actions, we can avoid the usual pitfalls of this grand cross, which are impetuosity, reckless moves, bad timing, over-assertion, and head-on confrontations ... Important lessons denoted are developing patience, inner composure, endurance, steadfastness, and learning to better organize time and energy."

THE OTHER main planetary event this week is Jupiter's retrograde station. Jupiter begins its backward-motion phase at precisely 10:00 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, April 10, at 24°21′ Sagittarius. At the time of its station, Jupiter is within "orb" of being aligned with the Galactic Center, which is currently calculated to be at 27°03′ Sagittarius.

As the largest known planet of our solar system, Jupiter's effect is always to magnify whatever it touches. And, when a planet comes to a standstill to change direction, we usually notice its influence more fully. So, we have Jupiter's magnifying glass amplifying the energy of the Galactic Center this week. If that sounds profound, it is.

TO HELP US wrap our brains around this event, here's an excerpt from an excellent article by astrologer Melanie Reinhart, entitled "The Galactic Centre and the Centaurs" (posted on the AstroDienst website):

"When the last five degrees of Sagittarius are stimulated by transiting planets, a process of awakening is initiated. A time of accelerated spiritual development occurs, with its attendant life challenges which may include rapid change, separations, crisis, illness and stress as outmoded ideas are released. Phil Sedgwick likens this to a ‘defragging’ process of our mental ‘hard drives’!

"Expect a major ‘life-review’ of a very particular kind. Density, opaqueness and blockages within the mind and the soul are being spun off, as in a centrifuge. This is a perhaps useful image for the Galactic Centre - a centrifuge - where everything is spun away from the dark centre, revealing an empty space.

"This ‘empty space’ is where we are receptive to Grace, and like the black holes said to reside at the core of the galaxy, it generates the substance which will birth the new, individually and collectively. Rudolf Steiner, in his book The Soul’s Awakening, reminds us that 'We who would create the new must endure the passing of the old in full tranquility.'"

IT IS MORE than significant that we have this Saturn-South Node-Pluto alignment, the cardinal grand cross, and Jupiter's station at the Galactic Center all occurring within a single week. It appears that the cosmos are bound and determined for us to "spin off" the density that has blocked our hearts and our minds from comprehending our true nature, and inhibited our receptivity to Grace.

I feel a bit breathless as I write all of this! Perhaps our reminder of just how important the breath is. I've advised it before, but this week it is even more important that we stop from time to time -- hopefully once each hour -- to focus on our breath.

To do this, slowly breathe in, filling your lungs a little more deeply than usual (but still comfortably), and then slowly breathe out, expelling more air than you might usually exhale. Then pause for a few seconds, and repeat two more times. Doing this exercise at least every hour can make a huge difference in how your day -- and this week -- unfolds in your consciousness.

You may also find it helpful to watch Matt Kahn's YouTube video entitled "Breath of Life," or to avail yourself of the work of any other supportive teacher whose words and presence help you feel centered, calm, and more connected to your spiritual source.

IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: This is a year of powerful transformation in some area of your life, as well as in your self-concept. New passions are awakened, and old patterns that have held you prisoner are revealed. You are on a hero's journey, the purpose of which is to help you claim your personal empowerment in new ways. Changes that occur this year will set you in new directions, ultimately enabling you to fulfill more of your personal mission in this lifetime. Remember the value of pausing to breathe, and taking the time to be sensitive to your internal needs, needs that you may have been ignoring. (Solar Return Sun square Saturn, square nodal axis, square Pluto, conjunct Eris)

About the Author

Pam Younghans is a professional astrologer, editor, and writer. She lives in a log home northeast of Seattle, Washington with her beloved animal companions. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or leave a message at 425.445.3775. For more information about NorthPoint Astrology offerings, please visit northpointastrology.com or visit her Facebook page.